Where Do We Go From Here?
by vez
Summary: Who said the road to sucess was easy? Percy finds out that he had sacrificed many things along the way. Now, he is facing the consequences, alone. Slight OotP spoilers ahead.


**Where Do We Go From Here?**

                                                            By vez

Everyone tells him the secret of success. _"It's not what you know, it's who you know."_ They whisper this seductively into his ear because they knew he was ambitious. Although why it is a secret, he does not know. He had heard that line before several times and he was not impressed. 

            Nevertheless, Percy Weasley was one who never turned down advice. Those who know him intimately would say that he would rather give advice than take it. Percy always thought he had the best of both worlds. He had graduated with top NEWTS from Hogwarts and his father worked in the Ministry. In other words, he had just proved he knew everything there is to know and he already had connections within the Ministry. Yep, success was but a breath away from Percy Weasley.

            During the periods when he had nothing to do, Percy would dream of what he would do in the Ministry. The working life should be vastly different from life in Hogwarts. There will be no pranksters throwing dung bombs or giving out bobby-trapped sweets. When he was at Hogwarts, Percy couldn't wait to work. He couldn't wait to get away from the world of childish behaviour. In the Ministry, there'll be lots of peace and quiet. The only sound would be that of dedicated people working. What a lovely place to work in.

            Percy couldn't wait. 

_2 years later:_

            How could someone with top scores for NEWTS be so stupid? Merlin, he was only nineteen and already, he could tell that he had no future. The road to success had been forever blocked to him -- for no success should come to anyone who had treated his or her family so badly. He had turned his back on his family and probably made his mother cry far too many times. 

            Percy sat on his bed in his enormously large apartment. Make that enormously- large- because- it-is- empty apartment. He had shunned his family because he believed in the Ministry or rather the Minister. Damn Fudge. Percy had so firmly, so ardently believed that Voldermort was never coming back. The rumors of You-Know-Who's return were just the hallucinations of a boy who obviously wanted more attention from the wizarding population. 

Now Percy found out that Harry wasn't hallucinating. It was real. Voldermort was coming back. In fact, he's already back. Somewhere out there, the greatest evil he had ever known is alive and breathing. Alive, breathing and planning to turn his world into ruins. 

            Percy sat on his bed in the dark. The atmosphere suited his mood perfectly. All this time he thought he was right, pompously waiting for everyone else to apologize to _him_. Only to find out that he had made the biggest mistake of his life. Now, he was terrified and all alone. He couldn't bring himself to go back to the Burrow. It was inviting, to go back to his room and be reacquainted with his familiar home. But how could he face his family? How could he ever make amends for the pain he caused? 

            So he continued to sit in his room and waited for oblivion to come. Why? Because, for once in his life, Percy Weasley didn't know what to do. Too much had happened and his brain couldn't process it all.

            Voldermort is coming back. He's coming. The days of  hiding in safe houses from Death Eaters and the Dark Lord are back. Percy survived it once, when he was five years old. He survived by being very quiet and hiding in the darkness. It was better to experience those dark times when you were a child. It makes your older self think it was all just a silly nightmare to forget about. 

Now Percy was very much older and he knew spells to protect himself. He need not be afraid of the Death Eaters. He was a man! He could defend himself! Unfortunately, that didn't change much in his mind. In his mind, he was still the same frightened five year old. 

            The War will begin. Percy won't be out in the battlefield. He'll be in this darkened room, waiting for oblivion to come. He felt very much alone. No one would offer him hugs and reassure him because he had literally pushed everyone away. 

            Percy curled up on his bed and dreamt...of nothing…

_Author's note: I have to admit, I was very depressed while writing this. Reading OotP made me depressed also. Anyway, I wrote this piece because I wondered why Percy could not/ did not want to believe in Voldermort's return. I mean, he believed Fudge over his family. That struck me as odd as I always thought Percy was a very family oriented person. Anyway, if you liked it, please review it! I'd be eternally grateful. *smiles *_


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